Camille Naredo

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala after her first round match against Alycia Parks in the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 19, 2026. Handout/Tennis Australia

January 19: Alexandra Eala (PHI) on Court 6 during Round 1 at the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park Monday, January 19, 2026. Photo by TENNIS AUSTRALIA/LIZ VAGG

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260119 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768814444684LV_316_AO26.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Filipina tennis star Alex Eala after her first round match against Alycia Parks in the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 19, 2026. Liz Vagg, Tennis Australia" width="960"/>Filipina tennis star Alex Eala after her first round match against Alycia Parks in the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 19, 2026. Liz Vagg, Tennis Australia</div>Filipina tennis star Alex Eala shrugged off comparisons to another Philippine sporting icon on Monday, after drawing a huge crowd to her first round match in the Australian Open in Melbourne.A pro-Eala crowd filled Court 6 as the Filipina took on world No. 99 Alycia Parks of the United States in her debut in the year&#x27;s first Grand Slam. They were at their noisiest in the opening set where Eala blanked the American, 6-0.Parks regrouped in the second set, however, and Eala was unable to sustain her hot start. The American eventually took a 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory to progress to the second round.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/1/19/alex-eala-vs-alycia-parks-australian-open-round-1-1341">READ: Alex Eala bows to Parks, exits Australian Open</a></div>&quot;I think it&#x27;s normal that with a loss comes disappointment and being upset,&quot; said Eala afterward. &quot;But then again, it&#x27;s another opportunity for me to take and learn and grow as a player.&quot;Even before the match, Eala had already received plenty of attention. The Filipina was followed by throngs of fans wherever she went, with even her practice sessions drawing crowds. Online, posts about her on social media generated massive engagement; her <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4F2Q21dwh4">pre-tournament press conference</a> on the Australian Open&#x27;s YouTube account has over 170,000 views as of writing.The support she has received from her countrymen drew comparisons to boxing legend Manny &quot;Pacman&quot; Pacquiao, but Eala was quick to shoot down the notion.&quot;Oh my god, hindi naman ganoon. Iba naman si Manny Pacquiao, I think. Nasa ibang level na siya,&quot; Eala told Philippine media including Raine Cabral of Masterplan Australia.The 20-year-old recalled that the entire country would virtually stop whenever Pacquiao fought during his prime, with traffic coming to a standstill and crime rates dropping as the nation instead tuned  in to watch the &quot;Pacman.&quot;&quot;I mean, naaalala ko &#x27;pag may laban si Manny talagang parang bakasyon &#x27;yung mga tao, hindi pumapasok. And then &#x27;yung buong pamilya, nasa bahay, may lechon, may popcorn,&quot; she said.&quot;So sa tingin ko, medyo malayo pa ako,&quot; Eala added.Nonetheless, Eala was appreciative of the support she received, though she also admitted that it was &quot;a bit overwhelming.&quot;<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/1/19/trailblazer-eala-exits-australian-open-after-hero-s-welcome-1609">READ: Trailblazer Eala exits Australian Open after &#x27;overwhelming&#x27; scenes</a></div>The Filipino fans at Court 6 had to be shushed several times by the umpire as they cheered for Eala, and the young player took time to sign autographs even after her loss.&quot;It was so heart-warming,&quot; she said of the post-match scenes. &quot;That&#x27;s one of the things that makes a loss like today a little bit harder, is I know a lot of people were rooting for me.&quot;&quot;But then again, Alycia played really well,&quot; Eala added. &quot;And you know, I just hope that the support continues with the losses along with the wins. I think that would really touch me.&quot;&quot;But then again, the fact that everyone came out and really squeezed into that cozy court, I really appreciate it. I felt so loved.&quot;Eala will still play doubles on Tuesday, teaming up with Brazil&#x27;s Ingrid Martins against Japan&#x27;s Shuko Aoyama and Poland&#x27;s Magda Linette.

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala shrugged off comparisons to another Philippine sporting icon on Monday, after drawing a huge crowd to her first round match in the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala shrugged off comparisons to another Philippine sporting icon on Monday, after drawing a huge crowd to her first round match in the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Tennis: New Manny Pacquiao? Alex Eala says 'malayo pa ako'

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Tennis: New Manny Pacquiao? Alex Eala says 'malayo pa ako'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 19, 2026 05:26 PM PHT

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Updated January 19, 2026 11:49 PM PHT

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